Finding new employees is an ongoing challenge for plumbing companies, given public prejudice against the trades and the growing competition for new hires as the baby boomers retire. But it is still possible to attract the people you need, provided that you employ the right tactics to reach, hire and retain them.
To learn more about successful tactics for finding new employees, Plumber magazine spoke to two plumbing firm owners who know all about them. Mike Prencavage Jr. is president and owner of The Family Plumber, a family-owned and -operated plumbing company in Orange County, California, that has been in business for the past 38 years. Derek Cormier is CEO and founder of Climate Experts Air Plumbing & Electric in Melbourne, Florida, which he established in 2016 and now has over 40 employees. Here’s what they had to tell us.
Plumber: What steps are you taking to attract new people?
Mike Prencavage Jr.: Beyond normal outreach through employment agencies such as Indeed, Monster, and ZipRecruiter, I’ve found the best exposure is putting you or your company out there on social media platforms.
When you post to social media, it’s crucial to showcase a work environment that is “happy” or “hip.” So company pages should highlight their individual employees or spotlight them, and showcase fun company events or gatherings that they have. The biggest thing young professionals want to see is the [working] environment and company culture, in my opinion. If that isn’t visible on your social pages then you aren’t attracting anybody.
If possible, provide a “ride and decide” opportunity for anyone looking to see what plumbing is all about. Schedule one day or more for a potential candidate to ride with a senior tech to see the operational aspects of the plumbing company. The hope is that the tech who is paired with the individual can explain the great benefits of joining the plumbing industry.
Remember, any potential young employee does way more research on companies than the person conducting the interview. This is why what you post about your company online matters.
Derek Cormier: We do a lot.
We hold a weekly hiring event at our shop with tours, presentations, food and open interviews. We promote our jobs online through main job boards and have an inviting job description. We set up text message automation for new applicants to make it easy for them to reach us. We have one-way video interviews to speed up the process. We post our culture on our social media channels and videos, including videos made specifically for recruiting and attracting talent. And we offer a lucrative employee referral bonus for new hires.
Plumber: When it comes to convincing promising applicants to take your job offers, what works and what doesn’t?
Mike Prencavage Jr.: What works is being transparent, plus making promises and keeping them with any youthful professional. During the interview process, they are listening to every word and promise you say.
Always set expectations for career growth. Youthful professionals are hustlers and never want to hear things that indicate there is any “glass ceiling” if they enter the plumbing field. You should have a process for continued advancement within your company all the way up to possibly becoming a partner at some point. Putting limits on growth will deter any motivated individual.
Derek Cormier: What is working well? We have a full apprenticeship program in-house that works very well. Hiring events work great as do employee referrals. One-way video interview prescreening works great too. So does a paid workday trial before offering a job, to let us evaluate them for the day and let the applicant view the role. And in-house training over trade schools works well for us.
What does not work? Zoom interviews where people do not show up. Hiring experienced skilled labor with poor attitude or character. Hiring managers straight into management without vetting them in lower positions. Overspending on job board advertising. Hiring external recruiters.
Plumber: What should the plumbing profession in general be doing to attract new people?
Derek Cormier: We should be promoting plumbing as a career and not just a job. We should be talking about paid apprenticeship programs versus college and having no debt. We need to talk about earning potential in plumbing and how you can make as much as your skills, which means there’s huge growth potential.
We also need to show how plumbers can have fun on the job, plus how important plumbing is to homeowners and why this job matters. And we have to make plumbing look more professional and more than just a job for those without other prospects. We need to show success stories of young people’s success in the trade.
Mike Prencavage Jr: The plumbing profession in general needs to make training available at little to no cost. Our government-funded programs have all since been ripped away throughout the nation. I hear so many plumbing business owners complain about this and blame their hiring problems solely on that.
It is what it is, in my opinion. We as employers just need to step up and provide this training.
I personally cover all tuition costs for our employees to go to trade school and earn their journeyman cards. At the end of the day, a person entering the trades will see a company that contributes towards their training as a company that believes in them and wants them to succeed.
Plumber: How well are these hiring tactics working for you?
Mike Prencavage Jr.: We have seen great results from doing all of the above. We are hiring primarily under 35 years of age. We have long term employees that are happy working at our company. Our retention rate of employees over 2 years is 85% which is really high.
Derek Cormier: They are working amazingly for us.
Plumber: Finally, are there other ways to attract new talent that you are considering trying?
Derek Cormier: Posting job ads in the Midwest where it is cold and having videos specifically made for people who want to move to our state. Going to high schools and promoting the trades.
Mike Prencavage Jr.: I’ve been working providing localized scholarship funds with the branding of “The Family Plumber” behind it. Presenting these scholarships to local high school counselors that could use it for any student looking to jump into the plumbing career. Being more public online through my personal pages on Facebook and Instagram (@socalplumbguy) has helped in the recruitment process.
Check out this conversation with Mike Prencavage Jr. on our podcast series Plumber Cast.
